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Moving to Tucson!

We are planing to move from Detroit to Tucson Az. We weill appreciate ANY advice as to a good M.C. friendly aeria. We can't afford anything fancy, maby a small ranch or south-west stile place with at least a couple of acres or more with a pool. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Well, it's a little cooler down in Tucson than up here in the Phoenix area (Tucson is at a little higher altitude) but that's still good advice...102 today but it's supposed to cool down into the upper 90's by the weekend. We should be out of the 100's altogether in a couple weeks...

Well, it's a little cooler down in Tucson than up here in the Phoenix area (Tucson is at a little higher altitude) but that's still good advice...102 today but it's supposed to cool down into the upper 90's by the weekend. We should be out of the 100's altogether in a couple weeks...

Arizona is pretty, but too hot for me. My grandparents had retired and moved to the outskirts of Phoenix. We would visit, to my disgust, in late July or early August. It was warm......

On the upside, I like real Mexican food, and will you find some there! I have not been there in a few years now, so cannot offer much more to you, other than "Good Luck"

Your best bet is to get with a good real estate office. The major chains are there in Tucson so you have several to choose from.

I grew up there and prefer the NW area around the Cortaro - I-10 area. Land prices are higher up there than in the SW area but the neighborhoods are better and you are farther away from the open areas that are plagued by the smugglers (people and drugs). If you do not mind living in the far NW near Marana and closer to the Pima / Pinal county line there is a lot of open areas and some nice dirt roads to explore. That puts the Phx and Casa Grande areas closer if you decide you need to visit the BIG city (phx) or look over a fast growing smaller town (Casa Grande). There is so much that has grown up in the NW side that there is little reason to go into the center or East side of town.

The eastern side is more crowded now and prices are going up accordingly. The far SE side has more open areas as the smaller ranches are overrun by the metropolis and there are no mountains there like the west, NW and SW side. The air base (DM AFB) is on the near East side towards the Southern side of town if you will be working there.

The Vail / Benson areas to the East by SE are starting to grow closer but there is still room there.

I would avoid the South side towards Green Valley. That is prime smuggler habitat and also parallels the main highway into and out of Mexico. Lots of "bad" things and folks prowling there.

It also depends on where you are going to be working. If the job is on the SE side you will want to be near I-10 for the commute.

Downtown is a real bear for parking. It is nothing but govt. operations with little to no shopping. There are some "quaint" shops and restaurants there though.

The main drags for commuting East and West are ALL interior roads. There is NO East / West highway so take that in mind when deciding where to live in relation to where you will work. Traffic is very heavy, slow and there are LOTS of collisions. Back in the 80's and 90's the Traffic section of the PD used to do the majority of the collision investigations (about 75%) and the city averaged over 10 to 14k of them a year back then. Now the traffic section (motors) has been cut to 1/4 and the city no longer responds to fender benders or minor injury collisions. You are on your own and at the mercy of the insurance company then to determine who gets to pay.

I-10 goes from NW to SE then East and curves around the far SE part of the city. The farther East you go on it the farther from the city it gets.

Riding season is year round, depending on your heat tolerance. Keep in mind that it is a dry heat and hotter than you think. You will dehydrate far faster than you used to and will get heat exhaustion before you know it. It normally takes about 3 years to fully acclimatize to the climate.

Older houses can still have "swamp coolers". They work really great in the early summertime. When the "monsoon" season arrives (July through Aug) you will be miserable. The only way to be really comfortable is to use AC. That can really drive the electric bill through the roof though. Be ready for $300 to $400 a month power bills if you have a larger place and keep it cool. I suggest you get gas heat and stoves. Far cheaper than electric there.

Feel free to ask any other questions.

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Yeah, it's starting to get nice. When it drys out the heat is more tolerable. I've already seen a few snowbirds rolling down the Superstition in their motorhomes & toad, in the middle lane with turn signal on. Late Fall & Winter are best...I always like it when we're sitting with the windows open, watching football in Green Bay or somewhere up there and there's two feet of snow up there.

We are planing to move from Detroit to Tucson Az. We weill appreciate ANY advice as to a good M.C. friendly aeria. We can't afford anything fancy, maby a small ranch or south-west stile place with at least a couple of acres or more with a pool. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

PM me when you arrive. Lived in Tucson for twelve years now and love it. Small big town. Phoenix is like LA in the desert.

Wife is a well known realtor in the area and can help with location etc.

Have large Hanger and can store bikes for interim.

Welcome to the greater Tucson area.

We have a great BMW dealership in town also. Iron Horse

Jack

"All my life I wanted to be somebody. Now I realize I should have been more specific."

SE AZ gorgeous

I'm a longtime tucson resident (20+ years) and bmw rider, first-time poster here. I just wanted to respond to motor31's post above, which made it seem that certain areas in southern AZ are somehow scary and dangerous.

leaving from tucson, the rides southeast are gorgeous. going up in elevation into the mountains and grasslands to sonoita/patagonia are must rides. from there you can head south to parker canyon lake or east to bisbee, even on into the chiricahuas (or just stay put and sip wine at a winery in sonoita). the roads are good, fun, and wind through some of the most beautiful country you can imagine. and in the summer, the higher elevations are demonstrably cooler.

i have ridden these routes countless times and have never run into bandits or other "undesirables" of any kind. as much as mexico is troubled and as much as there is smuggling activity, our neighbors to the north tend to exaggerate these issues for political reasons.

so, welcome to tucson! as far as where to live, i would only counsel patience. rent first, and get to know the area. tucson is one of those magical places that has hidden treasures that speak to everyone differently.

I am one of those snowbirds who you may have read about a couple of posts back. I come down in my motorhome for the good weather but at least I drag my motorcycle along. I absolutely love Tucson for a winiter locale. Fantastic riding in the area. I strongly suggest you get in touch with, and join, SEAT the South East Arizona Touring Club. It is a very active and well organized group. Lots of Beemers but not exclusive.